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Most Important, Unloved Cable...

Ethernet. I used to say the power cord was the most unloved, but important cable. Now, I update that assessment to the Ethernet cable. Review work forthcoming. 

I can't wait to invite my newer friend who is an engineer who was involved with the construction of Fermilab, the National Accelerator Lab, to hear this! Previously he was an overt mocker; no longer. He decided to try comparing cables and had his mind changed. That's not uncommon, as many of you former skeptics know. :)

I had my biggest doubts about the Ethernet cable. But, I was wrong - SO wrong! I'm so happy I made the decision years ago that I would try things rather than simply flip a coin mentally and decide without experience. It has made all the difference in quality of systems and my enjoyment of them. Reminder; I settled the matter of efficacy of cables years before becoming a reviewer and with my own money, so my enthusiasm for them does not spring from reviewing. Reviewing has allowed me to more fully explore their potential.  

I find fascinating the cognitive dissonance that exists between the skeptical mind in regard to cables and the real world results which can be obtained with them. I'm still shaking my head at this result... profoundly unexpected results way beyond expectation. Anyone who would need an ABX for this should exit the hobby and take up gun shooting, because your hearing would be for crap.  
douglas_schroeder
cleeds
2,065 posts
 
jinjuku
Here is the fundamental problem: Subjectivists have taken this one step too far.
If you believe contributors here have ventured "one step too far," you should alert the moderators. They control the conversation here, not you and your "put up or shut up" pronouncement.
shadorne's avatar
shadorne
7,333 posts
 
@jinjuku.

But the golden eared gurus who review and advise the masses are able to hear the difference in the quality of the coal burning at the coal-fired electric power station from 50 miles away - so why not Ethernet cables?

I suspect most of us realize that every slight movement of our head and position will change the sound quite audibly - some of us are able to recognize this as a non-equipment non-source music extraneous factor while others attribute this to the last tweak they made. It is next to impossible to make a change and then listen again in the exact same spot - a mere cm make a difference (at least I can hear audible differences from movement of less than a cm)
cleeds
2,065 posts
 
shadorne
But the golden eared gurus who review and advise the masses are able to hear the difference in the quality of the coal burning at the coal-fired electric power station from 50 miles away
Can you actually document that some have made this assertion, or did you simply fabricate it?
jinjuku's avatar
jinjuku
223 posts
 
@cleeds 

Not one step too far as something the violates TOS but one step too far in ascribing realtime analog properties to a non-realtime system.

Did you know that during playback, for power saving purposes, parts of the NIC's power supply circuitry gets switched off?

Did you know that you can start playback, pull the Ethernet cable and still hear 3/6/10/20 or more seconds of playback?
grannyring's avatar
grannyring
4,637 posts
 
Shadorne, I actually agree with you! Great point on even the slightest movement of the head, seating position, humidity, etc...

That is yet one other reason A/B testing is useless. One needs to compare over long periods of time....days and weeks before they really come to grips with changes in sound with wire, tweaks, or gear. You really need to settle in and live with the new sound over a period of many, many days.

Sure out can hear some differences pretty quickly, but how you emotionally and physically respond over a long period of time is most important. What seems "better" in the short term may in fact be irritating over the longer term. 
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